Quality of life workers with hearing loss caused by exposure to industrial noise the of metalworking production

Abstract

Introduction. Subjective assessment of the quality of life of workers exposed to occupational noise is an important aspect in the development of measures to prevent health problems in people with hearing impairment. Materials and methods. A cross-sectional study of subjective assessment of the quality of life of two hundred twenty metalworking workers in “noise” occupations was carried out using the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire. Results. Metalworking workers employed in conditions of exposure to industrial noise have been shown to rate their quality of life (QoL) as increased in almost all areas, except for the “environment” area. There has been established a decrease in estimated indicators of QoL depending on age, especially pronounced for the sphere of “physical health”. The lowest values of quality of life indicators are typical for elderly people and people with hearing impairment. Limitations. The studied indicators are subjective and may not reflect the actual health status of respondents. Conclusion. Subjective assessment of the quality of life of metalworking workers with hearing impairment caused by noise exposure showed the need for additional QOL studies with ranking of the interviewed persons according to the intensity of hearing damage.